ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Presidency on Wednesday called on the Kurdish political parties to resolve their issues through dialogue, following an escalation in tensions between the ruling parties.
The Kurdistan Region’s governing parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have been at loggerheads in recent months over the Region’s parliamentary elections, the transparency of the oil and local income of the provinces under their influence, and the assassination of a former PUK colonel in Erbil in October.
Despite working together in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the two parties have established control over different parts of the Region, often being referred to as the “Yellow Zone” and “Green Zone.“ The KDP is dominant in Erbil and Duhok provinces, while the PUK rules Sulaimani and Halabja.
“The Kurdistan Region is facing multiple challenges and uncertain times. Today, more than ever, we need unity and cooperation among all sides, and specifically between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which together, hold the future of our Region in their hands,” read a statement from the Presidency.
“We call on all political parties to set aside their differences and commit to resolving their issues through dialogue and understanding and with an open heart. What unites us is much greater than what divides us. We must all act responsibly in order to be able to restore stability and unity, and to protect and advance the interests of the people of the Kurdistan Region,” it added.
Representatives of the PUK, Change Movement (Gorran), Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), and Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal) met in Sulaimani on Wednesday to discuss the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections.
“The Kurdistan Parliament’s electoral law should be amended and the electoral commission should be re-activated,” they said in a joint statement.
Members of the Kurdistan Region’s parliament in October voted by a majority to extend the current four-year term of the legislature by one year, after disagreements between the blocs over the current elections law and the electoral commission prevented the carrying out of new elections.
